Ground Transportation: We'll arrange for pick-up at the Salt Lake City International Airport and either bring you straight to Park City (about a 35 minute ride), or we'll head straight to the riding destination, depending on when your flight arrives. Trips to Southern Utah usually run 4 to 5 hours depending on the number of rest stops taken. Your guides will handle all of the driving so you can get a little extra shut eye if you caught an early flight.
Equipment: White Pine Touring has an extensive fleet of high-end, full-suspension rental and demo bikes available from Specialized, Gary Fisher, and Trek. If you prefer to bring your own bike, we can make the necessary tools available for assembly. And if you'd like to ship your bike out a few days ahead of time, our full-service bike shop can have your bike assembled and tuned-up, and ready to go when you get here.
Almost all of our guided mountain biking tours are either in high alpine environments where the altitude tends to make the air dry or in semi-desert environments which are pretty arid. Either way, you'll need at least 100 oz. of water for almost every ride, so be sure to bring an appropriate sized CamelBak. You'll also want to make sure your bike is in good shape, from the shifters to the brake pads, and of course, helmets are mandatory.
White Pine Touring has an excellent retail store encompassing 5,000 square feet with all the technical gear you could want and lots of apparel and accessories to complete your trip preparation. Whether you need a new CamelBak or gloves, or an extra pair of bike shorts, White Pine can make sure you are ready to go, and the best part is that all of our tour clients get 10% off retail purchases the day before and the day after your trip.
Meals: A hearty breakfast goes a long way toward providing enough fuel to power you through the morning's ride. The day usually starts with a pre-ride meeting over breakfast at a local restaurant where we review the expectations for weather, terrain, and the length and type of ride. Breakfast is included.
Lunch varies considerably with the day's riding program. On longer rides, lunch might be sandwiches and energy bars on the trail. Other days we might ride in the morning, meet back at the support vehicles for a nice picnic there, and then head out for the second ride of the day. Occasionally, the schedule calls for a morning ride, lunch at a nearby restaurant, and then another ride in the afternoon. It all depends, but it's always good, and it's always on us.
We find that mountain bikers' appetites vary greatly come dinner time. Some want a beer and a bed, some want a nice Italian dinner with some red wine, and some just want a burger and a hot tub. Since there is such great variety, everyone's on their own for dinner, but we're always happy to provide suggestions to our favorite local spots.
Lodging: As you might imagine, since these mountain biking tours take you out into the backcountry, there are no 5-star hotels anywhere nearby. Having said that, we stay in places that are clean and comfortable, and we're sure you'll find them quite pleasant, even if they don't come with a butler to draw your bath.
Our pricing is based on double occupancy. If you would prefer a private room, please tell us when making your reservation, and we will make every possible effort to accommodate you. Naturally, there will be an up-charge for the single room.
Your Guides: Our Lead Guide is the renowned Charlie Sturgis, who is almost as well known for his gregarious personality as he is for his famous outdoor skills and experience. Charlie was one of the driving forces behind the formation of the Mountain Trails Foundation, and he helped to create a great number of the trails in Park City. Charlie is the co-author of “Park City's Prime Cuts: A Guide to the Best Mountain Biking in the Park City Area” which highlights over 500 miles of the best single track in and around Park City, Utah.
On challenging rides, sometimes both bikes and bodies get a little banged up. Beyond being accomplished mountain bikers, the guides all carry minor repair and first-aid kits to help get you back in the saddle if you happen to get temporarily sidelined. While White Pine Touring rides are designed to challenge you, no matter what level of rider you are, our guides are also trained to tailor the rides and the trip to the needs and riding levels and styles of each group. It's all about making sure everyone is having fun!
The Rides: It's hard to say which is worse, being in a group where you can't keep up, or being the one who's always waiting for the rest to catch up. Short of personally going on a pre-screening training ride with every member of the group, we do everything possible to make sure your group will be closely matched in ability and fitness levels. Once on the trip, we also try to monitor the pace to see how everyone is holding up.
Before we get to the refinements of the rating scale below, you should know that White Pine Touring offers rides for two broad categories of riders: 1) those who know what they are getting themselves into, and 2) those that want to know what they are getting themselves into. The first category is the more experienced mountain bikers who are looking for a truly challenging trip. To some extent, they've “been there, done that” and they're looking for an epic excursion. The second category isn't really sure how sore they're going to get, and they may want to know that there's a hot tub and ibuprofen waiting for them along with their afternoon cold beverage. Don't worry, either way we'll take care of you and make sure you get just what you're looking for!
Below is a rating scale, which we borrowed from “Park City's Prime Cuts,” that will help you understand how we categorize the rides. Understanding these ratings will help you select tours where you will feel appropriately challenged and comfortable.
Ratings: DISCLAIMER: These ratings are done by people who live at 7,000 feet above sea level and who ride pretty regularly. While we guide and ride with people of all abilities, and therefore have a reasonable feel for experience levels, you have to be the final judge on what you are, and are not, capable of handling in both aerobic exertion and technical ability.
Mountain biking can be strenuous and dangerous. The key for those going on their first tour is to ride with a maintainable breathing and heart rate. This will generally keep you out of any trouble from both an exertion perspective and a technical perspective. It is also more enjoyable that riding until you collapse and then trying to get up and do that again. Of course, that won't stop some people from trying.
Our ratings are modeled after ski runs. (What'd you expect? We did have the Winter Olympics in Park City!) As a general rule, if you go with a guide you can usually handle a ride one level higher than you can handle on your own.
GREEN CIRCLES – We don't expect anybody to have a heart attack on these trails, and they are suitable for most kids to ride with minimal whining. In fact, these trails have been designed with families and seniors, as well as beginner riders, in mind. They are also suitable for towing a kid in a trailer. There shouldn't be anything more technical than a street curb for you to clear, and you can spend your time enjoying the scenery and the delightful mountain air.
BLUE SQUARES – If you are coming from sea level, and you are past your twenties and/or you don't get much exercise, these rides will get you huffing and puffing a little, or maybe a lot. While there is some challenge involved, any crash should be patchable with a band-aid and unless you are a heart patient, we wouldn't expect your friends to have to perform CPR as long as you bring enough water and use your head.
You will have to clear small obstacles and be able to go up and down switchbacks. If you aren't comfortable with these skills, White Pine Touring can give you a one hour clinic that will do wonders for you. Any decent athlete in reasonable physical condition will have a lot of fun on an intermediate ride if they use their head.
DOUBLE BLUE SQUARES – We needed a category between Intermediate and Advanced, so we made it up. Strength is the major determinant in the jump from one blue square to two. You will have to clear some obstacles that require the front tire to get airborne briefly and on some of the rides, you'll be in the saddle for a long time. Strong intermediate riders in very good physical shape can probably handle most of this with relatively little bike pushing or carrying as long as they don't get stupid.
BLACK DIAMONDS – Riders in this category should know who they are, but just in case there's a yahoo out there who thinks it sounds like fun to go 30 mph down an open scree slope of 30 degrees without full body armor, we'll try to categorize it. You'll need to feel comfortable with one or more tires off the ground occasionally and you better be able to get your chest on your saddle for some downhills. Wrecks on these rides could earn you a trip to the emergency room for stitches, casts, or maybe worse. If you aren't in good shape, you could also have to rely on your buddy for some open mouth contact, without any tongues involved, while he simultaneously beats on your chest.
DOUBLE BLACK DIAMONDS – Advanced riders will be able to handle most of these trails without walking or carrying their bikes too much, they will just do it slower and with more foot contact on the ground than Expert riders. You will have to clear obstacles that will bend your big chain ring if not done properly, and endos are pretty easy to come by. Perhaps the biggest factor, however, is that these rides are simply grueling and may call for more than four hours in the saddle at a hammering pace. A major mistake on these trails will almost assuredly earn you a trip to the clinic and may earn you a two week vacation in the hospital of the ambulance driver's choice.
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